Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 153
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
न मे विदुः परं तत्त्वं देवाद्या न महर्षयः / एको ऽयं वेद विश्वात्मा भवानी विष्णुरेव च
na me viduḥ paraṃ tattvaṃ devādyā na maharṣayaḥ / eko 'yaṃ veda viśvātmā bhavānī viṣṇureva ca
神々や天界の者たちも、偉大なるリシたちでさえ、我が至上の実在を真に知ることはない。宇宙に遍満する唯一の世界我のみが、自らをバヴァーニーとして—またヴィシュヌとしても—知る。
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking in a theological-advaitic register
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as the one viśvātmā (cosmic Self) whose reality is beyond the full grasp of gods and sages, implying self-luminous, non-dual knowledge where the Supreme alone truly knows itself.
This verse emphasizes tattva-jñāna (knowledge of the supreme principle) as the core aim; in the Kurma Purana’s broader yogic framework, such realization is approached through disciplined yoga and devotion that culminate in direct insight into the one all-pervading Ishvara.
By identifying the one viśvātmā as Bhavānī and also as Viṣṇu, it signals a synthetic, non-sectarian vision: the supreme reality is one, expressed through multiple divine names and forms rather than competing deities.